After the Dark Times
by smolbean17
Summary: After the Battle of Endor, Ahsoka and Rex remember.


Ahsoka sat silently atop the branches of a tall tree. The sounds of song and cheers and laughter rang throughout the forest. The Empire had finally fallen. The Battle of Endor was over and the celebration had begun. She didn't feel much like celebrating, though. Neither did the young man she was watching down below.

She watched him light the pyre, her sharp eyes catching the slight trembling of his frame. He stood still and reverently, a storm of conflicted emotions on his face. The flames grew and grew, consuming the dark figure that was his father.

He looked so like him, Ahsoka mused. His sandy hair, the blue blue eyes. And she could sense in him the same youthful recklessness of her Master, though muted through the years. Kindness too. And selflessness. Yes, Anakin was all of these things.

And Luke would never know the real Anakin. Not like she did.

She wondered if she should go down and tell him. Tell him about the _real_ Anakin. The one who would rush to the front lines to protect his friends. The one who was kind to those less fortunate, because he remembered his own dismal upbringing. The one who loved too deeply.

She shifted from her spot in the trees, prepared to jump down from her perch and tell Luke everything. But something in the Force told her to wait.

Luke, though much more unfamiliar to the Force, sensed it too.

"Hello?" He called out, body tense. The crunch of leaves echoed with the crackle of the fire, and out stepped a man. He was weathered with time, but his eyes were kind.

Ahsoka smiled.

"Sorry to startle you, kid," the man said, "was searching for one of my pals, got a little lost." His gaze fell on the pyre, eyes darkening. "I'm so sorry. I-I'll just go." He turned back to the edge of the clearing, but Luke stopped him.

"No, no. It's okay," the youth almost seemed uncertain as to why he was saying the words he was saying, but he continued, "Stay. Please."

The man nodded, a small smile on his lips as he came to stand beside Luke, offering him his hand.

"The name's Rex."

"Luke Skywalker."

The reflection of the fire lit up their eyes as they stared.

"You're a Clone," it wasn't a question.

Rex sighed, "One of the last."

Luke nodded, pensive. "How come you aren't decommissioned like the rest?"

"Ah, I was one of the lucky ones. Escaped the Empire before it even took hold. Been fighting for the Rebellion years now."

Luke nodded again, unsure what to say. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"Your father?" Rex motioned to the pyre.

Luke swallowed, "Yeah."

Rex placed a large hand on the boy's shoulder, "He was a good man."

Luke looked up at him with wide eyes, "You knew my father?"

The man smiled, "'Course I did! He was the General of the 501st, my own battalion. One of the best Jedi I've ever seen. And an even better friend." He bowed his head. "Yes, General Skywalker was a good man."

"Do you know what happened to him? How he became..." His words tapered off. It was obvious what his question was.

How did Anakin become Darth Vader?

"I'm sorry, Luke. I don't know if anyone really knows." Rex was genuine, his words heavy.

Ahsoka closed her eyes. What she wouldn't give to know why he fell. She knew that Anakin was always a bit... unconventional. He disobeyed direct orders. Went against the Jedi Order whenever he deemed necessary. But she wasn't so sure that was the only reason.

Was it because she left? She often wondered what would've happened had she not walked away from the Order. Would Anakin still be alive? Would he have perished at the hands of his own battalion along with the rest of the Jedi? Would the Emperor's plan even have come to fruition without his prized weapon?

Ahsoka didn't know what would have happened. Or how it happened. But what she did know was Anakin's one true weakness. Loss. And Padme.

She watched as Luke looked disappointingly down at his feet. "He saved me." he mumbled after a while.

Rex blinked, "What?"

"He saved my life." Luke repeated. "The Emperor was going to kill me. So Vader threw him off a ledge."

Ahsoka almost burst into laughter at the abruptness of Luke's statement. Her heart soared with happiness. So he did it. He finally returned to the Light, after all those years. He destroyed both the Order and the Empire, finally bringing true balance to the Force. He really was the Chosen One.

"That sounds like the General to me," Rex chuckled, "Always throwing himself into danger to save his friends." He glanced over to the boy, noticing the slight smile on his face. "You know, I have some great stories about your father. Would you like to hear some?"

Luke nodded enthusiastically, eyes bright.

"Have a seat, this'll take awhile," Rex sat crosslegged on the ground, patting the spot beside him.

Ahsoka watched as Rex regaled his stories, some she was familiar with and some she wasn't. The Clone was an excellent story teller. She found herself laughing quietly at some stories and shedding tears at others.

As he spoke, she became caught up in her own reverie, remembering the last time she saw her Master. Not at Malachor. Not when they fought. He was too far gone then, his golden orbs housing not even an ounce of love. Only hate. No, the last time she truly saw Anakin was before the Siege of Mandalore. He was running off to save the Chancellor with Obi-Wan.

She remembered how his blue blue eyes lit up when he saw her. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. She didn't care. She wasn't a Jedi anymore. Even Obi-Wan smiled.

She thought back on his words, wishing she could've had a holo-recorder on hand to capture his every word. Her memory was hazy, the years having stripped away the purity of their last conversation. But she did remember, with perfect detail, his parting words:

 _"Promise me you'll be careful," He said as they embraced, his chin resting on her head. He was still so much taller than her. She could feel apprehension coming off of him in waves. Some things never changed._

 _"Aw, Master! You really do care!" She teased, punching him lightly on the arm._

 _He smirked, "Of course I care!" he feigned hurt. "You'll always be my shrimpy little Padawan."_

 _"Hey! I'm not that short!" she protested. Obi-Wan laughed._

 _"He'll never let anyone forget it, Ahsoka," The older man grinned crookedly, before mumbling, "Not even me."_

 _"At least Ahsoka still has time to grow," Anakin said, "But you Master... I'm sorry. There's no hope for you."_

 _They laughed together, while Obi-Wan muttered something incoherently about 'maturity' and 'responsibilities' before slowly edging away, leaving the two alone._

 _"I've missed you guys," Ahsoka admitted. Her time in the underground network of Coruscant was enlightening. Her time with the Mandalorians even more so. But the open comfort and sense of family she had grown so used to was all but gone since she left the Order. She missed Anakin and Obi-Wan. She missed Padme and R2-y and 3PO._

 _"We've missed you too." his cerulean eyes held a deep sadness and exhaustion that she so desperately wanted to take away. But she gave up that right when she left him. Sometimes she wishes she could go back._

 _"I want you to know something before you go." he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I am so proud of you, Snips."_

 _She could feel the rim of tears dotting her eyes, but she held it back as she hugged him one last time._

 _A commotion sounded in the background, signaling his departure._

 _"Sounds like it's time for me to go," he said._

 _"I wish I could come with you," she said into his shoulder._

 _"Yeah, but we'll see each other again," he said. "I promise."_

 _"Promise." She repeated._

 _"Goodbye, Ahsoka."_

 _She didn't respond, everything in her being screaming at her not to say goodbye. Because if she did, somehow she knew it would be final. She couldn't let it be final. As much as she wanted to tell him how grateful she was, how much she cared for him, she couldn't._

 _So she didn't say anything._

And then he was gone.

To this day Ahsoka felt like she should feel guilty for keeping silent. But for some reason she didn't. She held out hope that somehow the Force would grant her some kind of closure. She knew she deserved as much.

So the fire flickered, and Rex told his stories, and Luke listened and questioned and smiled, the tension and uncertainty finally dissipating. It brought a steady calm to the Force that Ahsoka had never felt before.

After a long while, a strong feminine voice called out to Luke.

"Sounds like it's time for me to go." He stood, Rex following. "Thank you so much, Rex. For everything."

"Sure thing kid." Rex smiled. "Save me a bowl of soup. I'm gonna keep looking for my friend a while longer."

"Do you need any help?"

"Nah," Rex shook his head, "I've got a feeling they're close by."

Luke nodded and disappeared into the trees, a smile on his face.

Rex turned back towards the fire which slowly began to die down. "You can come down now, Commander."

Ahsoka leapt down from the trees, landing beside him. He was unfazed.

"I thought you "outranked" me now, Captain." She teased.

"You said it yourself, experience outranks all," He winked, and she pulled him into a warm embrace. "It's been so long."

"I know. And I'm sorry. It's just - it's been a difficult few years." Ahsoka explained.

"No need to be sorry, Commander. It's been difficult for all of us." he patted her Lekku. "How did you know to come?"

"Kallus." She smiled. "We've been maintaining our Fulcrum transmission for the past several years. He told me Hera was here and I knew I couldn't just stand by. But he forgot to mention that a certain Clone Captain would be here too."

"That's because I didn't tell anybody." He grinned, "Hoping that I can just fade into the shadows after all this is done. Truly retire. Wolfe and I have been dying to hunt some joopas again." He folded his arms, "What about you? What are you going to do after the dust finally settles?"

Ahsoka frowned, "Ezra's still out there somewhere. Sabine and I are going to bring him home."

Rex nodded despondently. "I'm sure you'll find him."

They were silent as they stared into the dying flames of Darth Vader's funeral pyre. Two friends mourning his loss, while at the same time celebrating his newfound freedom and the long fought freedom of their Galaxy.

"He really was a good man," Rex said suddenly. "All those things I told to Luke, they were true. I wasn't just trying to preserve a son's perception of his father."

"I know." Ahsoka whispered.

"I guess I already had my chance for a eulogy, telling Luke all those stories." Rex patted her arm and moved to the edge of the clearing, "I'll leave you to say a few words."

Ahsoka toned out the sounds of the festivities, and focused on her breathing. Anakin always hated meditating. He never wanted to stay still, always wanting to act first and think later. She was convinced that had Obi-Wan not taught her how, she would've never learned to meditate.

She had no words to say. Just like the last time they saw each other. She couldn't find it in herself to say goodbye to the empty husk that he once was. It didn't feel right.

So she walked into the trees, where both the celebration and the dying fire could be seen. She watched as the multitude of races and species of the Rebellion danced and sang and embraced one another. Such a beautiful display of unity and hope. She saw Luke, laughing with his sister, who was so like Padme. They were finally together as a family.

She looked back as the last glowing ember of fire expended, and she closed her eyes. She felt a sudden shift in the Force, but it was a good one. A peaceful one. She watched from the trees as three faint apparitions appeared before Luke. Yoda. Obi-Wan. And Anakin. Just as she remembered him that last day. He was smiling. A true, wonderful smile. She couldn't help the tears that fell.

The figures seemed to address Luke without words, the Force lighting up the night with their presence.

And then Anakin turned his head, almost imperceptibly towards Ahsoka. Her eyes locked onto his and he smiled, nodding softly. She smiled back.

"Goodbye, Master."

And then he was gone.

But then again, no one's ever really gone.


End file.
